A group of Indian cricketers, including RCB captain Rajat Patidar and all-rounder Krunal Pandya, arrived at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team hotel ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 resumption. They will face off against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, May 17, marking the beginning of the season’s final phase.
RCB’s official social media account shared an update on Thursday, May 15, showing Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Rasikh Salam, and Swapnil Singh checking into the hotel. South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi was also among the arrivals, having earlier confirmed his return to the league through an Instagram story.
Before the tournament was paused, RCB were in excellent form during the league stage, having suffered just three defeats. With 16 points, they occupied the second spot on the points table, trailing only the Gujarat Titans (GT) due to net run-rate.
𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚. 𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣. 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.💪
Our 🌟s have touched down at RCB HQ, and it’s go-time. 😎🔥#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/IaUFNqZKIy
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 15, 2025
Patidar Recovering from Finger Injury Ahead Of KKR Clash
According to reports, Rajat Patidar was at risk of missing a few matches due to a finger injury sustained while fielding during RCB’s thrilling victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 3. The injury could have sidelined him had the tournament continued without interruption.
The recent break has offered Patidar some time to heal, but his participation in RCB’s upcoming clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) remains uncertain. The team is already missing left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. Karnataka’s Mayank Agarwal has been named as his replacement.
If Patidar is unavailable, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma may step in as captain. The Vidarbha cricketer previously led Punjab Kings (PBKS) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2024, when both Shikhar Dhawan and Sam Curran were sidelined.
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